Family Visit
by Zip Goes A Million
Summary: Modern Mary, Matthew and their son, George go to Dublin to visit Sybil, Tom and their son, Finn in their small cottage in Ireland. The ladies get together and the men also get some quality time down at the local pub!
1. Chapter 1

**Family Visit: Chapter 1**

It was raining outside. It was always raining outside. Or at least, that's what Tom felt. It had been raining on and off for weeks. There were rare intervals of sunshine, but mostly it was cold and windy, or pouring from black clouds overhead. Or both. Yes, usually both. Tom was beginning to get a bit depressed with the weather. He loved being outside, so this meant he couldn't do much of what he wanted to do anymore. But it did mean he got some of the work done that had been sitting around for months waiting for him to do it. Being a journalist, a lot of what he did was 'on the job', but he still had a lot of work to do with his home and his family among other things that he'd put to the back of his mind and forgotten about. It was Sunday and Sybil and Tom had come back from church. Their six year old son, Finn, had gone straight off from church with a friend to spend the day. Sybil thought that perhaps it wasn't the best idea, as it was a Sunday – people were supposed to be resting – and she knew that Finn would be restless if he weren't let outside due to the rain, but the Morgans were insistent that it was no trouble and they'd be happy to have Finn for the day. But Sybil and Tom were grateful as it gave them some time to relax without having to chase after a small child or make him do his schoolwork. Tom was in the process of making two mugs of tea when he heard the roar of thunder and saw the bright lightning flash light up the whole room. Although to be fair, the room wasn't very big. He was standing in his small, dimly lit kitchen. Sybil was upstairs in their bedroom – a bedroom that was far smaller than what Sybil had had when she was living with her parents at Downton. Once Tom had made the tea, he carried the two mugs carefully up the wooden staircase to Sybil. He found Sybil sitting on their windowsill (it was a wide windowsill – one could sit on it without worry of falling off the side) reading a book. Her legs were bent up in front of her and a thick and fluffy red blanket was draped over her. Tom held out a mug to Sybil and Sybil put her book down at her side to free a hand in order to take the mug. "Are you feeling any better?" Sybil shook her head gently and began to drink her tea with a subdued expression. She looked a little pale – Tom could tell she wasn't well. It didn't help that Mary and Matthew were coming down to visit tomorrow. "Is that my jumper?" Tom said, all of a sudden changing the subject. Sybil smirked slightly but said nothing. Tom looked at Sybil.

"What? I was cold and this was the first jumper I came across!" Sybil said with a smile. She liked wearing Tom's jumpers due to the fact that they were always too big for her, so made her feel warm and cosy, and they always smelled of Tom. It was partly his deodorant and aftershave, but it was also just _him_. And Sybil loved the smell of him and his clothes. She found that it comforted her.

"What do you want for lunch?" Tom asked.

"Pasta, please," Sybil said in reply. "And tomato sauce."

"Alright then!" Tom said as he got up. But he didn't move away from the windowsill just yet. Instead, he walked over to Sybil and placed his hand on hers to comfort her a little. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Of course I will, Tom. I appreciate the care, but you don't need to fuss about me that much. What's going to happen to me, exactly? I'm pretty sure the window is not going to murder me!" Sybil laughed at the fact that Tom was worried to leave her while he made lunch. Tom didn't reply, but bent down to kiss Sybil before heading downstairs to make lunch. As soon as Tom left the room Sybil began to read again. She'd got through three chapters and fifty or so pages before Tom came back into the room with lunch and a pot of tea on a tray. Sybil looked up once she had finished her sentence and said, "Oh, Tom, thank you. I love you, you know?" Tom kissed her and gave her a plate of pasta and tomato sauce. It wasn't exactly a grand meal, but it was what Sybil wanted, so Tom was more than happy to make it for her. Sybil sat on the windowsill to eat and Tom sat on his chair.

"Do you know what time your sister's coming tomorrow?"

"Not a clue. Pass me the phone and I'll ring her and find out," Sybil said looking towards the phone at Tom's side. He picked it up and passed it to her. Sybil dialled the number and waited for Mary to pick up.

"Oh, hello! Yes, right – do you know what time you'll arrive down here tomorrow? Alright. Are you going to want to do anything then when you get down here if you'll have been travelling all day? That's fine! I'm sure you men can go down to the pub!" Sybil looked at Tom with a smile when she said this. "Yes, Finn hasn't stopped, but he's round at a friend's house today, so hopefully that will keep his mind off if it for a while. Yep, okay – see you tomorrow, bye!"

"So, what time?" Tom said as Sybil pressed the red button on the landline.

"Matthew thinks about 3 o'clock, but it could be any time before or after that with about an hour's span. And he thought that perhaps you two could go to the pub down the road for the evening and Mary and I'll stay here and look after Finn and George."

"Are you sure you'll be alright with that?" Tom asked, obviously thinking that the pub was a good idea, but also clearly worried about whether Sybil would be okay if she wasn't feeling quite perfect.

"I'll be perfectly fine, Tom, dear. I'll have Mary here, and by that time the boys will have gone to bed, won't they, and I'd like to have a catch up with Mary anyway. I haven't seen her in ages and I'd like to know how the rest of the family are doing. I'll be absolutely fine, Tom!" Sybil finished her food, but kept her tea with her and then Tom went to put things away downstairs. It was still raining, but Sybil didn't care. She was just as excited to see Mary as Finn was to see George.

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_Let me know what you think. It's going to be a short fic - as in there will probably be less than five chapters, but please let me know what you think about it so far (I know it's only been one chapter so far!)._


	2. Chapter 2

**Family Visit: Chapter 2**

The next day, Sybil woke up early – not from excitement, but because she felt sick. She couldn't sleep, so she silently pulled on a pair of jeans and a red long-sleeved top, went downstairs and took some Ibuprofen tablets to get rid of the headache, hoping that the feeling of sickness she had may go away too. She was glad not to be working this week. She'd taken the week off as a holiday, since she had Mary and Matthew visiting all week, but she thought that perhaps she might have caught this illness from someone on the ward in the hospital. She looked at the clock. It was only 6:30. She was used to waking up at odd times because of her job and in order to get Finn to school, but she didn't usually wake up early if she didn't have to. She knew that something bad was going on, but she didn't really know what. She decided she'd ring her doctors and see if she could get an appointment before Mary's family arrived. She waited until 8 o'clock because she knew that the doctors' surgery didn't open the phone lines until then. But as soon as the grandfather clock in the hall chimed eight, she picked up the phone and dialled the number. "Hello, could I possibly book an appointment for myself this morning? Yes please. Mrs Sybil Branson and I've been feeling sick and I've had an on-going headache that I can't get rid of. Thank you. Bye." Sybil put the phone down and Tom came downstairs in his dressing gown. He saw Sybil sitting on the sofa and came up behind her to kiss her neck.

"How long have you been up? I woke up and you weren't there," Tom said, with his arms hanging over her shoulders from behind.

"Since 6:30. I felt sick, so I came and made myself a cup of tea and took some tablets. And I've just rung the doctors'. I've got an appointment at 10." Tom walked around the edge of the sofa and sat next to Sybil with a hand on her knee.

"Are you alright?" He sounded worried.

"Well, I don't know yet! I haven't been to the doctors' yet, have I?" Sybil said with a smile.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Tom asked, anxiously.

"No, you're staying here to look after Finn, alright?"

"I'll do whatever you need me to do, Sybil."

"Good!" Sybil said with a tone of authority in her voice. She was obviously the boss of the two of them and they both knew it all too well. They then heard loud footsteps coming down the stairs. "Well, Finn's up!" Sybil said, looking at Tom. Tom looked around to see Finn approaching the bottom of the stairs. He ran around to the sofa and sat between the two of them, although it was more like sitting _on_ the two of them.

"What time's George getting here, daddy?"

"In the middle of the afternoon, Finn. At about 3 o'clock."

"I'll tell you what," Sybil said to Finn. "Why don't you and daddy both go and get dressed and I'll make you both some breakfast. How's that for a plan?" Finn didn't say anything back to Sybil, but said to his father,

"I'll race you upstairs, dad!" Tom didn't have any time to answer as Finn was already running up the stairs. So Tom kissed Sybil gently on the nose and shouted up the stairs,

"I'll beat you there, Finn!" Sybil smiled to herself as she walked into the kitchen. She was proud to have two perfect boys in her house. She loved the fact that they were all hers. She always thought she'd got lucky once with Tom and that he'd passed his luck to Finn. Sybil had always loved Finn more than anything and always said that he got all his best bits from Tom. She got out the Coco Pops from the cupboard, the milk from the fridge, the bowls from the shelf and the spoons from the drawer. Then she poured a small glass of orange juice and placed it by Finn's bowl. She placed a few pieces of bread in the toaster for Tom and then she heard a few playful screams as Tom came into the kitchen chasing Finn. Finn ran behind Sybil and peeked out from behind her, but Tom had snuck up from behind and scared him. Sybil laughed and said,

"Come on boys, time for breakfast." The toast popped and Tom grabbed the two pieces to put on his plate. He sat next to Finn and buttered his toast. Sybil poured herself a small amount of Coco Pops after Finn had finished with them and ate them slowly. "What do you want to do today, Finn? Because there's most of the day to kill before George arrives," Sybil asked.

"I want to drive my truck and fly my plane with daddy outside in the field," Finn muffled with a mouthful of food. Tom looked out the window and said, "Well, the weather looks good enough. As long as it doesn't rain we can do whatever you want to outside."

Tom and Finn had gone to fly Finn's remote controlled plane in the fields near their house and Sybil was now at the doctors'. She waited for about ten minutes until she was called in to see her doctor. After explaining various things and the doctor asking various questions, Sybil had some blood taken and she was told that she would get a phone call as soon as they had the results. "You may get the call later today, but it could be tomorrow if we have lots to analyse," the doctor had said. Sybil made her way home, knowing that soon she'd know what was wrong. On her way home it started to pour with rain. She couldn't help but think about Tom and Finn out in the rain. Sybil soon arrived home and ran inside to avoid the rain as much as possible. She found, once she had shut the front door and put her bags down that Tom and Finn weren't home. They'd obviously gone too far from home and hadn't managed to make it back yet. Either that or they were taking shelter under a leafless tree until the rain lightened a little. Sybil got a punnet of strawberries out of the fridge and began eating her way through them when the doorbell rang. She walked over to the front door and pulled it open. Two dripping wet figured were standing outside. She opened the door wide enough to let them in and looked at them with pity and sorrow plastered across her face.

"Oh, you poor things! What happened?" Sybil took the toy aeroplane out of her son's hands and set it down on the side.

"The rain happened!" Tom said with a smile.

"But it was fun!" Finn said with a grin going from ear to ear. Tom looked at his son and said,

"Come on you – a nice hot bath and new clothes." Sybil could do nothing but watch as they trailed slightly muddy water through her house. She followed them upstairs and ran Finn a bath. Once it was full, Tom sat on the floor of the bathroom, still completely sodden, and Sybil next to the bath washing Finn's hair for him. They were telling her all about what they'd done with the plane in the rain. About how it almost crashed into a horse in his field and how the wind nearly got it stuck in the tree. Before long, Finn was being lifted out of the bath and Tom was getting ready to have a quick shower. Sybil took Finn to his room to dry him off and put some clean and dry clothes on. He wore a pair of jeans and a dark blue t-shirt with a green lizard on it. Sybil left him to do what he wanted and was planning on going back downstairs, but as she reached the top of the flight of stairs Tom came up from behind her from the bathroom. He'd just had his shower and had a towel wrapped around his waist. He took Sybil hand and led her to their bedroom. Tom threw on a pair of jeans and a blue and pink striped shirt, leaving the top two buttons undone.

"Man enough to wear pink, I see!" Sybil said, biting her lip. Tom sat down on the bed next to Sybil and she leaned into his chest.

"What did the doctor say?"

"Oh, right – they've got a blood sample and I'll get a phone call with results either today or tomorrow." Tom lifted her chin with a finger and placed his lips on hers. Sybil smiled into the kiss and put one hand on his shoulder and the other on her chest. Once they'd parted they both went downstairs, holding hands, so that they could watch some TV before Mary's lot arrived.

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_Normal drill - let me know what you think._


	3. Chapter 3

**Family Visit: Chapter 3**

The doorbell rang and Finn sprinted down the stairs and opened the door, as Sybil and Tom turned off the TV and walked towards the front door. They all knew it was Mary, Matthew and George. Finn said a quick hello to Mary and Matthew and George did the same to Sybil and Tom, but then the boys were upstairs before the adults had a chance to speak. They all chuckled a little as they saw the boys disappear up the stairs. They all then came further into the house and hugged and said hello. Tom offered to make tea, to which they all said yes. So, as Tom went to the kitchen, Mary, Matthew and Sybil sat in the living room and chatted about how things were going. "… and Mama and Papa send their love, Edith is missing you and would like to see Finn more often, and Granny hasn't changed – she still thinks you shouldn't be here with Tom!" Mary said to Sybil as Tom walked in with the tea on a tray.

"Well, I don't expect her to have changed her mind. As much as I love her, I know I'm right on this one – she can't be right _all_ the time, can she?"

"I wouldn't ask Violet that!" Matthew laughed. Tom sat next to Sybil and she leant against him.

"No, neither would I," Sybil replied, "but that doesn't change the fact that I'm right!"

"So, how's George been?" Tom asked. "He seemed cheerful when he arrived, but I didn't see him for long!"

"Well, he's had ups and downs. He was being bullied at school a while ago, but we think that's pretty much sorted now, and he been ever so excited to come down here ever since we told him that we were visiting," Matthew said.

"Yes, well, so's Finn! We managed to keep him busy this morning – Tom took him out in to fly his aeroplane, but they ended up getting drenched," Sybil looked at Tom accusingly. He looked back and smirked. "But he's been wanting to see George for quite some time now."

Later in the evening, they'd all eaten their supper, and Mary and Sybil were trying to get the boys into bed. "Come on, George, we're all going to the zoo tomorrow, so we all need our rest, don't we?" Mary told her son.

"But it's not bedtime," Finn protested.

"No, it's half an hour past bedtime!" Sybil said to both boys. "Come on, pyjamas on and in bed please." The two boys gave in, knowing that their mothers would refuse to lose. They both got changed into warm pyjamas and soon were in bed and both fast asleep. They were clearly exhausted from all the excitement. Mary and Sybil quietly tiptoed downstairs where Tom and Matthew were chatting. "The boys are in bed and both fell asleep as soon as they hit the pillow," Sybil told them.

"I'm not surprised!" Tom said. "I think then, we can pop down the pub," he continued, looking at Matthew. Both men said goodbye to their women with a few kisses and then they were gone.

"Just you and me then Sybil," Mary said.

"Looks like it!" As soon as Sybil and Mary had sat down the phone rang. Sybil leant backwards to pick it up from the table beside the sofa. "Hello," she said into the phone. Mary just looked at her little sister while she spoke to someone that Mary probably didn't know. "Yes, that's me. Oh right. Really? Oh! Gosh, okay. Well, thank you for ringing. Okay, thank you. Bye." Sybil took the phone away from her ear and pressed the red button, but she didn't look up at Mary. Instead, she looked down into her lap.

"Is everything okay?" Mary asked, worried that something might be wrong.

"Yes, everything's fine," Sybil looked up at Mary with tears in her eyes. "I'm pregnant again!" Mary and Sybil simultaneously reached forward into a hug. Mary pulled back from the hug.

"Oh, Sybil, congratulations!" She wiped the tears away from her sister's face and asked, "How do you know? Who was that on the phone?"

"Well, this morning I went to see my doctor because I really haven't been feeling well and they did a blood test and they've just given me the results. Pregnancy didn't even cross my mind – I didn't feel this horrible with Finn."

"Well, how far along are you?"

"About a month, apparently," Sybil replied. She'd stopped crying so much and was now just thinking that she had another child on the way. She and Tom were trying for another child a few years ago, but nothing ever happened. She knew that Tom would be pleased.

"Are you going to tell Tom?"

"Of course I am, but I won't ring him now. I'd rather tell him face to face and anyway, I don't think I should stop him having a men's night out with Matthew. They haven't seen each other for the same amount of time that we've been apart, after all." Mary hugged Sybil again and they continued chatting, though this time the conversation was a lot more about babies and what had happened with George and Finn when they were babies and toddlers. Once both ladies had caught up enough, knowing that they'd have a few days to continue talking, they took themselves to bed and waited for their men to arrive back from the pub.

Sybil sat up in bed, reading and thinking. She heard a thud which was obviously the front door. It was really rather loud so she hopped out of bed and tiptoed to the top of the stairs, knowing that there were creaks in the floorboard. She didn't want to tread on one and wake anyone, but she soon realised that Mary was behind her. Sybil carefully descended the stairs and whispered with authority, "The boys are asleep, do you fancy waking them up and have them pestering us all night?" Matthew and Tom were only slightly drunk. They were sober enough to know that they certainly were not the leaders in this particular household.

"Sorry Sybil," Matthew said. He walked towards Mary who was half way up the stairs. She took his hand and led him upstairs, trying to stop him from treading on any of the particularly creaky floorboards. Sybil did the same to Tom, but only after Tom kissed her deeply. Once Sybil and Tom were safely in their room, she helped him undress. Buttons aren't the friendliest of things if you're drunk. She was already in a night dress, and he refused to put on pyjamas because it was apparently too hot, so she let him stay in his boxers. They climbed into bed and Sybil propped herself up on her elbow, looking at Tom, who looked back at her lovingly. _Should I tell him now, or should I wait until he's completely sober?_ She thought. She decided that she'd tell him now, she couldn't wait.

"Tom?" she whispered. He looked at her more intently but said nothing. "You know that the results for my blood test were supposed to come back today or tomorrow?"

"Mmm," Tom mumbled, still looking Sybil in the eye.

"They came back after you'd gone." Tom propped himself up on his elbow to be level with Sybil.

"Yes? And?" Tom was interested now. At any sign of possible bad news about Sybil, all the alcohol suddenly had no effect on his body. His face looked serious, thinking the worst.

"I'm pregnant again!" Tom smiled slowly and kissed his gorgeous wife.

"But… how?" Tom was struggling to find any words.

"Well, you should know – you were there!" Sybil laughed quietly, knowing that the walls of her house were paper thin and that any sound they made, Mary and Matthew could probably hear it next door. "I'm about a month gone," Sybil looked Tom in the eye and grinned along with him. That night, Sybil stayed in Tom's grip all night. He refused to let her go, knowing what the good news was. Sybil had made Tom a very happy man that night and both of them went to sleep with smiles on their faces.

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_Sorry if there are loads of mistakes, or it doesn't make sense - I haven't checked it through. I really can't be bothered to say much here, but review if you wish._


	4. Chapter 4

**Family Visit: Chapter 4**

Sybil leapt out of bed and ran across the corridor to the bathroom. She wasn't fast enough to make it to the loo, but she made it to the sink in time to let the contents of her stomach return through her mouth. She turned the taps on to clear the sink when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Tom wrapped in his old grey dressing gown. He gave Sybil a loving hug, with a kiss on her head, before asking if she was feeling well enough to go to the zoo with the rest of them. "Yes, I'll be fine. It's only morning sickness – the zoo shouldn't be a challenge. Besides, I've got you _and_ Mary _and_ Matthew to keep track of Finn, so I don't have to worry too much, do I?"

"Morning sickness?"

"Yeah, I had it with Finn, remember," Tom looked a little confused. Sybil could tell that he remembered the issues with Finn before he was born, but she noticed that it had only just dawned on him that Sybil was pregnant. "Tom, how drunk were you last night?" Sybil asked, beginning to think that he was more drunk than he had looked.

"I don't know, I don't remember much of last night," Tom replied.

"Oh, Tom!" Sybil mocked. "Last night you came home, you seemed a little tipsy, but not too badly, and once we were in bed I explained everything."

"Everything about what?"

"Oh dear." Sybil wrapped her arms around his waist and began to explain. "That blood test I had yesterday?" she asked, seeing if Tom could remember that part of his life. He nodded to show that he knew what she was talking about. "Right, last night, just after you and Matthew had left the doctor rang and told me that the results said I'm pregnant… again." Tom grinned and picked Sybil up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and moved her arms over his shoulders. She laughed as he grinned and span her around on the spot. He slowed down and eventually stood still and then kissed his wife, still holding her in his arms. Sybil didn't mind, though. She knew that Tom was strong enough to hold her up for quite some time. Sybil took her lips away from his and hopped out of his arms. She stumbled backwards and almost fell into the sink. Tom's arms caught her waist in time to lift her back up.

"You need to look after yourself, Sybil," Tom said sympathetically. "I'm not having you prancing around a zoo, making yourself feel like total crap just because your sister's family has come to visit."

"It's fine – I can look after myself at the zoo just as well as I can look after myself at home!" Sybil replied. Tom knew she'd been stubborn since she was a young child. Mary and Edith – each as stubborn as each other – had worked together to teach Sybil the art as soon as she could comprehend the idea. Tom pulled her in for another hug, knowing that he'd been beaten.

"Why don't you go and get dressed – I'll clean up in here," Tom suggested, looking towards the sink. Sybil smiled at him.

"Thank you, love," she said as she walked out of the bathroom and back to her bedroom. She opened the curtains and let the sunlight hit her face and dance across her body. She could see the trees bending over, so she could see that it was very windy, so probably cold outside, but with the bright sun in her room she was rather warmer than she expected to be. She pulled on a vintage dress with woollen tights to keep her warm and then brushed her hair and teeth. She decided not to put much makeup on. Instead she put on red lipstick, as it completed the vintage look, and a small amount of mascara and eyeliner. Tom kissed her once she was ready.

"You look beautiful, Sybil," he said, keeping his eyes locked on hers.

"And you've got my lipstick on your lips!" Sybil laughed and wiped said lipstick off Tom's mouth. Tom was dressed by now, so they walked downstairs together, to find Matthew dressed, Mary in pyjamas and the boys (both still in pyjamas) chasing each other around the house.

"Morning," Sybil said cheerfully. Mary and Matthew looked around to see Sybil and Tom approaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Morning," Mary said. "You look nice!"

"Thank you," Sybil said in reply. "Have you made yourselves some tea, yet?"

"Yes and the boys have been up for about half an hour," Matthew stated. Tom began walking towards the kitchen when Sybil said,

"Do you fancy making me a cup of tea, darling?"

"Sure!" Tom called back. Sybil sat down on a spare chair and said,

"So, what time do you think the boys will want to go to the zoo?"

"As soon as they can!" Mary said. "George is desperate to see the lions."

A few hours later the family were on their way to the zoo. Due to the fact that there were six people and there were only five seats in each car, Sybil and Tom were in a car with the children, while Mary and Matthew were alone in their own car. "How drunk were you last night?" Mary asked her husband.

"Not very. I wasn't drunk enough to do anything stupid if that's what you mean," Matthew replied. Mary smiled slightly. "What did you and Sybil do then?"

"Well, we talked about… well… stuff," Mary said.

"What sort of stuff?"

"Well, Sybil's doctor rang, and told her that she's pregnant again, so we talked about that for most of the evening to be perfectly honest."

"Oh right. Well, last night Tom said something about wanting another child, I think… I might be imagining that, actually."

"Oh really?" Mary didn't give Matthew a chance to answer. "You could be a little more enthusiastic about it, too!"

"Yes, I could, but it's a little tricky when I'm tired and I think slightly hung over," Matthew mumbled.

"You said you were only slightly tipsy, and you didn't seem too drunk to me," Mary said.

"Yes, well, I lie when I'm drunk."

"Evidently," Mary replied with a smile.

* * *

_I don't think this turned out particularly well, but I'll leave you to decide. I'm not sure how to end this... any suggestions? I can't be bothered to say anything else here - I'm tired so... bye!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Family Visit: Chapter 5**

The two young boys had had a fantastic day and had both used rather a lot of their saved up pocket money (although neither one of them had huge amounts saved up) in the gift shop. It had been a long day and both boys were quiet on the way home. It wasn't exactly a long drive, but it was further than the two boys could cope with whilst still staying awake, so Sybil and Tom got a bit of peace and quiet on the way home. It hadn't rained during the day and they were glad of it. Sybil hated getting cold and wet – the reason why Tom had given her his jumper half way through the day, despite her protests – and Tom didn't want her to catch a cold while pregnant if he could help it in any way, shape or form. Tom had offered to drive home so that Sybil could relax a little. Her idea earlier of being able to take it easy because her husband, sister and brother-in-law could all help to keep eyes on Finn was quickly shattered when the two boys went off in different directions as soon as they had paid for entrance. Finn had gone straight to see the gorillas, while George had gone for the entrance to the underwater area with penguins and seals. Each area was crowded and both boys had gone rather quickly, so the respective parents of each of the children had had to go searching through thick crowds for their offspring. From that point onwards, Sybil knew that there was absolutely no chance of her being able to take it easy. Mary and Sybil at one point had left their husbands in the café, catching up whilst sober, and had taken the boys through the reptile house and then to see the monkeys. Thankfully they'd managed to choose two parts of the zoo that were fairly bare and for the most part had roofs. Sybil had noticed that there was a biting chill in the air, and simply wanted it to warm up a little bit.

So with one thing and another, she ended up wearing Tom's jumper and although Tom had goose bumps, he refused to let Sybil give him his own jumper back. Sybil now sat in the passenger seat with her legs crossed underneath her and the heated seat on. "Darling," Tom whispered from in front of the steering wheel, not wishing to wake his son and nephew. Sybil looked at him with a loving smile. "When are we going to tell trouble back there about a new baby sibling?"

"I don't know," Sybil said, not quite whispering, but not speaking at her normal volume. "I know he's always wanted a sibling, but I don't want to get his hopes up and then have things go wrong. We probably ought to wait until I'm two or three months. Just to be on the safe side. That's when I plan on telling my parents and the rest of my family as well – apart from Mary, but I trust her. And to be quite honest, she's had her fair share of problems when it comes to getting pregnant. I know that I'm not exactly on the best terms with the rest of my family, but I feel that telling them they've got a third grandchild on the way and then having to tell them that nothing's going to come of it perhaps isn't something that would put me in a better position with them – especially not papa and granny. I know they're not the most approving of me living over here away from them."

"Don't forget the fact that you're living with me. I'm pretty certain that they're not so keen on you being married to an Irish socialist," Tom said in a hushed, but not at all serious voice.

"I don't care what they think about you. If push comes to shove they can have their way and we can move to England, however much I really don't want to, but no matter how much they protest, they absolutely are not going to get me away from you. At all. Ever." Sybil laughed quietly and reached over to grab Tom's hand. He squeezed it with affection and Sybil leant over the small gap between the seats to give him a kiss on the cheek. Sybil loved the feel of her husband's stubbled face against her soft, warm lips. Tom took his hand from Sybil's to change gear and Sybil curled up in her seat slightly more.

"By the way," Tom said, looking over to the love of his life. "That jumper suits you."

"And you froze all day for me to stop being a little bit chilly!" Sybil protested, perhaps slightly too loudly. She turned her head to look at the two in the back of the car, but both her still sound asleep.

"Well, Mrs Branson, maybe – if you so wish to return the favour – you could make up for it tonight," Tom said with a slight growl to his voice and a suggestive undertone.

"Maybe I could." Sybil raised an eyebrow and let her voice go slightly more husky than usual. "You know what, Tom?"

"What?" Tom enquired, though he thought he already knew the answer.

"I love you more than anything in the world," Sybil stared at her husband. She knew that he wouldn't be able to do the same back due to the fact that he had to keep his eyes on the road, but she could see the corners of his mouth lift considerably at the statement.

"I love you too, darling. You're so perfect, you have no idea! I'm glad that not even your family can get you away from me. You mean more to me than anything else ever has. I love you, Sybil." Sybil smiled and took his hand, once more kissing his cheek. They'd had a brilliant day, and although it hadn't been perfect by the general standard, it had been perfect for them.

* * *

_I hope you've liked this story, but I'm afraid this is the end for this fic. I know it hasn't been the longest of stories, but I'd love to know what you think of it if you have a spare thirty seconds to leave a review._


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